The Nicest Of All The Small-Bodied Gibson Flat Tops… The Later "Robert Johnson" Model.

1932 Gibson L-00 Acoustic Flat-Top (12 frets clear of body).

This 14 3/4-inch wide, 4 3/8 inch deep, ebony "Dreadnaught family" lightly arched-top, "flat-back" guitar weighs just 3.00 lbs. Slightly arched laminated spruce top with 'X' bracing and round sound hole with three (white/black/white) rings. Mahogany back and sides, single-bound on the top. One-piece mahogany neck with a fat profile, a very wide nut width of just over 1 3/4 inches, a scale length of 25.00 inches and a very comfortable thick 'D' profile. Serial number "1310" stamped in blind on top edge of headstock. Brazilian rosewood fretboard with 19 original thin frets (neck joins the body at the 12th fret) and pearl dot position markers. Headstock with white screened "Gibson" logo. Single-layer bell-shaped black plastic truss-rod cover with two screws. Three-in-a-line Waverly open-back 'strip' tuners with oval white plastic buttons. Specific shaped white celluloid pickguard glued to top. Ivory bridge on rosewood base, strings secured by six ebony pins. FON (factory order number) number "219" stamped in black on end of neck inside body. There a several repaired cracks on the body, one on the top, one on the back and one on the treble side. These 'faults' do not detract from the playability and overall this wonderful little eighty-two year old L-00 'mean blues machine' is in excellent plus (8.75) condition. Housed in the original three-latch shaped black softshell case with purple cloth lining (8.75).

The Gibson L-00 was introduced in 1932 with a spruce top, mahogany back and sides, black finish and a white pickguard. By 1933 the L-00 was available in a dark sunburst finish with a striped celluloid pickguard. The L-00 series was discontinued in 1942. A fairly rare little guitar with just over 3,000 of this model were made between 1937 and 1941 - the production figures for 1932-1936 are not available.

Note: 1932-1935: Gibson FON numbers "roll over" from 9999, reusing old numbers. Important: this new series of FONs from 1932 to 1935 are *not* in sequential order (pre-1932 they seem to be sequential.) It was like in 1932 the FONs were pre-printed, and someone dropped the pile on the floor…